


In Your Dreams

by goingtothetardis



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad Wolf, Dreams, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Post Episode: s02e01 New Earth, Post Regeneration, Post-Episode: s01e14 The Christmas Invasion, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 02:56:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5895415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis/pseuds/goingtothetardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-regeneration, the Doctor experiences a series of nightmares, and the TARDIS shows Rose a way to help the Doctor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Your Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tenscupcake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenscupcake/gifts).



> Happy (very belated) Birthday, tenscupcake!! The initial idea for this story came from [this prompt](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/128277135990/imagine-person-a-suffers-from-really-bad). I've been fighting with this story the last few months. Telepathy is HARD. My motivation to finish it returned the last few days, and with my stubborn determination to FINISH IT, I kept pushing myself. It’s a topic/trope I’ve wanted to write for a long time, and it kind of went a different direction than I’d initially intended. I *hope* I wrote it well, as it was a huge challenge to write, and I’m quite nervous to share it. The end is resolved but was intentionally left somewhat open-ended in case I wish to return to this story again. :)
> 
> A huge thank you to [aimtoallonsy](http://aimtoallonsy.tumblr.com/) for the beta.

Rose shot up in bed with a loud gasp, blearily peering through her mess of hair as she tried to orient herself. The lights in her room flashed on and off, and Rose remembered that she’d returned to the TARDIS to sleep after a few nights, as she no longer slept well in Jackie’s flat when they visited. She shook off her drowsiness and scrambled out of bed, instinctively calling out for the Doctor. Noticing a new door along the wall on the opposite side of her room, Rose snatched her dressing gown off the floor and hastily pulled it on as she cautiously approached the door to investigate. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Rose pulled open the mysterious door and surged through. 

She stopped suddenly once she crossed over the threshold. The room was dark, with only a dull light from the corner to give any indication of her whereabouts. Her eyes focused on the large bed in the middle of the room, and she inhaled sharply when she saw the Doctor stirring restlessly. 

Understanding suddenly flowed through Rose as she realized the TARDIS had pulled her from sleep to bring her to the Doctor. 

“Doctor!” Rose hissed loudly from the door before running to the side of his bed.

When the Doctor didn’t respond, Rose shook his shoulder gently and whispered with increasing urgency, “Doctor? Doctor, wake up. I think you’re having a nightmare. Doctor!”

Rose chewed her bottom lip; the Doctor continued to toss and turn, and even from up close, she couldn’t quite make out the words he was mumbling. A thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead, which was scrunched up in tension.

“Doctor!” Rose tried again, her voice pitched higher as she started to panic. 

Just two days ago he’d changed his face, fought the Sycorax, taken down Harriet Jones, and celebrated Christmas dinner with her family. And now she’d been pulled from sleep, for what, exactly? To comfort him? To wake him from his nightmares?

As Rose tried to calm the Doctor from the edge of his bed, she realized her proximity and touch weren’t doing anything to help. Usually, simply holding his hand at any time had the power to relax the weight of the burden he always carried. However, right now he was as unresponsive to her as he had been in his regenerative coma. 

Making a quick decision, Rose climbed onto the mattress and crawled over the Doctor; she hovered indecisively over his supine form from beside him, murmuring words of comfort while running her fingers through the hair over his brow. Rose sat back on her heels and chewed her thumb, staring at the Doctor. They’d never casually shared a bed before, and she was loathe to do it now without his permission. Sure, they’d occasionally shared a dingy mattress in several pallid jail cells, but they’d both been fully clothed, and there was usually no other place to rest or sit. But now… The TARDIS had clearly pulled her in here for a reason, and that strengthened her resolve to do something. 

Rose lay down next to the Doctor and pulled him into her embrace. It did nothing to soothe the Doctor’s agitated state. Rose released the Doctor and sat back up in bed, tears forming in her eyes as she contemplated him. 

Obviously something was wrong, or the TARDIS wouldn’t have brought her into his room. But why wouldn’t he respond to her attempts to comfort him? Her touch? Her words? And didn’t he have a mental connection to the TARDIS? Why couldn’t _she_ help him?

With that, the lights in the room momentarily flickered in response to her thought.

The Doctor was telepathic. They’d talked about it in more detail after he told her about the TARDIS being in her head translating for her. After the initial shock of it, Rose had been curious to know more about the TARDIS, and in an offhanded comment, the Doctor mentioned being telepathic. 

_A touch telepath._

The lights flickered again, joined this time with an affirmative hum in her mind, and Rose looked up at the ceiling before looking back at the Doctor with an exhale of breath. 

“Okay, Doctor, I hope I’m not doing something rude, but, I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to do.”

In his restlessness, the Doctor had turned on his side facing her, so she lay down next to him and raised her hands to his head. Gently cupping the sides of his face, she closed her eyes and pushed calming and comforting thoughts outward toward the Doctor. 

_Doctor, this is Rose, you’re having a nightmare, and the TARDIS brought me to your room, and I’m just trying to calm you down._

As soon as she pushed the words toward the Doctor, Rose was suddenly thrown into the Doctor’s mind. Her hands tightened on his face as her mind was abruptly dropped into his harsh mental landscape. To Rose, it seemed as if she had landed in the middle of a chaotic storm. Terrifying images and ghosts of sounds assaulted her from all directions. Daleks, cybermen, screaming children, sights and sounds of war so horrific she knew they would stay with her forever. The onslaught of horrors were relentless, and in her initial shock, Rose was powerless to act beyond calling out to the Doctor.

_Doctor? DOCTOR!_

However, after a few moments Rose remembered this was not her mind, not her nightmare, and from her place inside the Doctor’s mind, she found she was at eye of the storm, immune to the terrors rendering the Doctor incapable of finding consciousness.

As Rose watched the nightmares rage around her, she began to truly understand the depth of the Doctor’s past. It was clear to her she was seeing images of the Time War and other horrors he had experienced in his long lives. How had the Doctor been able to move past these things? How had he _survived_?

In his mind, Rose squeezed her eyes shut to momentarily shut out the horrifying images, and they flung open again as she heard a soft voice whispering her name. 

_Rose...Rose Tyler...Rose..._

The Doctor’s voice whispered around her, her name swirling with the voices of both her first Doctor and her new Doctor. 

Riddled with fear and curiosity, Rose watched the progression of his dream. Suddenly the nightmare shifted, the images of war blurred to the background, and her experiences with him in the last year rolled past in vivid clarity at high speed. The Autons, the exploding Earth, the Gelth, 10 Downing Street, the Jagrafess and Satellite Five, Jack and a masked boy, bombs, Daleks… And then she saw her face, everywhere, any time she had ever been in danger. Always Rose. 

_Doctor, I’m here. You’re safe, I’m safe. Nothing’s gonna happen. You’re having a nightmare, and you’re on the TARDIS. I’m here, yeah? I’m here,_ Rose thought to the Doctor repeatedly. 

As she lingered in the Doctor’s mind, she realized she was able to feel _him_ , and she gasped as this cemented in her heart and mind that this new Doctor well and truly was the same man as her first Doctor. There was an indescribable essence of the Doctor all around her, and she sought it out and wrapped her comfort and love around it, doing her best to soothe the panicked and terrified tenor of his dreamstate. Gradually the tempest calmed, and a peaceful contentment replaced the chaotic emotions. 

Not wanting to intrude any further, Rose pulled her mind from the Doctor’s and carefully lifted her hands from his face. Rose lay beside him a moment longer and flicked her eyes over his now still body, lingering on his face, making sure he’d calmed down. She brushed her fingers through his hair once more before placing a soft kiss to his cheekbone. 

“Rose…” The Doctor murmured on an exhale. 

Rose froze in place and stared at the Doctor, but he slept on. She rolled away to the other side of the Doctor’s bed and quietly stood, making her way back to the door to her room. Rose slipped back into her bedroom, and the door shut behind her with a soft click.

Too tired to think about what had just happened, Rose stumbled back to her bed and fell onto her covers, falling asleep as soon as her eyes closed. 

+++

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked up at the coral ceiling. Had he been dreaming? He wondered if he’d had nightmares, which often happened in the days after a regeneration or other stressful moments, especially since the Time War, but he woke up feeling unusually settled and peaceful. Perhaps it was simply the seven hours, twenty-three minutes, and fourteen seconds he’d just slept. Blimey, he could rival Rose in time spent sleeping. But he’d just regenerated, and he knew he needed the healing rest. He probably needed one or two more nights of sleep before this body would be in tip-top shape. The Doctor breathed in deeply while stretching his limbs, and his brow furrowed as he exhaled. 

Rose. Had Rose been in his room? Her scent drifted in the air, and he rolled to his side to smell the sheets. Yep, Rose. _When had Rose been in his bed?_ Burrowing his head into his pillow he caught another whiff of Rose, and his mind cleared momentarily as he contemplated the mystery of why she’d been in his bed. With a sigh, the Doctor sat up and ran his hand through his hair. 

Rose had never been in his room before, and he wasn’t sure if she even knew where it was. He usually trusted the TARDIS to keep it from his companions. It’s not that he was terribly _against_ the idea of Rose in his room, but he knew _he’d_ never invited her inside. So how…? The Doctor looked up at the ceiling and asked the TARDIS if she knew. She hummed noncommittally back at him. 

Never one to abandon a mystery, the Doctor decided to ask Rose at breakfast. Well, before breakfast, perhaps on the walk to Jackie’s, since they’d return to Jackie’s flat for breakfast (one of her many conditions when Rose said she’d be sleeping on the TARDIS again), and Jackie _certainly_ wouldn’t want to know if Rose had been in his bed last night. Or any night. He shuddered, imagining her reaction, and his hand unconsciously covered his cheek in protection. 

+++

Forty-three minutes later, Rose shuffled into the console room with a yawn. “Morning, Doctor. Ready to go? I need my cuppa, and we probably shouldn’t keep mum waiting.”

“Good morning, Rose!” The Doctor bounded over to her with his hyper, early morning enthusiasm. “How did you sleep?”

At his question, Rose froze for a moment, blushed, and shifted her gaze to the console. “Slept good, but, um--"

“Were you in my room last night?” The Doctor blurted, interrupting her. Rude, this new body of his. And so much for waiting until they were walking to Jackie’s. “I woke up and smelled, well, my bedding smelled like you. It’s okay, Rose, really, but how did you…? Why did you…?”

Rose’s flush intensified and her gaze flitted everywhere but his face. “Well, um, the TARDIS woke me up, and there was a new door in my wall, and it opened to your room. You were having a nightmare, and I think the TARDIS wanted me to calm you down. I had to get on your bed, cause you weren’t waking up, but I, well, eventually you calmed down. And then I went back to my bed.”

She looked briefly into his eyes before chewing her lip and looking away. The Doctor felt like she was leaving something out and pressed for more details. 

“The _TARDIS_ brought you to my room? I was having a nightmare? So how did you calm me down? I know sometimes my regenerations can get a bit rough, but I don’t even remember you… Why didn’t I wake up?” The Doctor verbalized all his thoughts in one breath, not giving Rose the chance to answer. 

“Yeah, she--" Rose started.

“Well, it really doesn’t matter, as it’s clear the TARDIS thought you could help. Thank you, Rose. It’s okay, um, if you need to come in my room again,” the Doctor added as an afterthought, his eyes connecting with Rose’s for a moment before he busied himself at the console. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

“Now! Shall we? Breakfast? Tea? What do you think? Can we get Jackie to make us a nice fry-up? Or chips! We could go for chips!” The Doctor abruptly changed the subject to a less uncomfortable one and held out his hand for Rose.

Rose took his hand and shook her head as they walked out of the TARDIS. “Chips for breakfast, Doctor?”

“Rose Tyler! Are you telling me you wouldn’t eat chips for breakfast? For shame.”

Rose laughed and bumped the Doctor with her hip, and they bantered back and forth the rest of the way to Jackie’s flat.

+++

After returning to the TARDIS and bidding the Doctor goodnight in the console room, Rose wandered to her room. They’d spent a long day with Jackie, shopping and wandering about London, and she was exhausted. 

Rose contemplated the events of the previous night, and guilt hovered around her consciousness as she recalled failing to tell the Doctor _everything_ that had happened when the TARDIS pulled her into his room. She’d gone into his _mind_ and had provided comfort in a way completely unfamiliar to her, and she was scared she’d violated some kind of Time Lord telepathy etiquette. But the TARDIS...she’d encouraged Rose, and Rose knew that gentle prodding from the time ship was what ultimately gave her the confidence to comfort the Doctor in the way she did. 

But how was she able to get inside the Doctor’s mind at all? Throwing herself onto her bed, Rose chewed her thumb and lay back against her pillows. After the Doctor told her the TARDIS had established a telepathic connection with her, way back on their first trip together to the end of the Earth, Rose had been able to occasionally feel the time ship and had developed a bit of a relationship with her. Rose would ask the TARDIS for help finding the Doctor or for help finding a new outfit, and in her own special way, the TARDIS would answer. But ever since - well, the details were fuzzy, but ever since she’d returned to the Doctor on the Game Station, she rather thought she felt the TARDIS’s presence more firmly in her mind than before. Did that have something to do with how she was able to, well, jump inside the Doctor’s mind?

The TARDIS hummed comfortingly around her, and Rose got the distinct impression the TARDIS was telling her not to worry about it. Rose sat up and walked to the ensuite to brush her teeth and use the loo before bed. She changed into pajamas and slid under her covers, wondering if she’d be jumping into the Doctor’s nightmares again as she fell asleep.

+++  
Several hours later, the TARDIS once again roused Rose from sleep, and Rose immediately jumped from bed and ran through the door connecting her room to the Doctor’s. She found the Doctor tossing and turning on his bed and tried to wake him with a touch to his shoulder. She climbed onto the far side of the bed, crawled to his side, and, without hesitating as she had the night before, fell into the Doctor’s mind once more. 

Sometime later, Rose pulled herself out of the Doctor’s mind and lay beside him a moment, her hand resting gently on his cheek. He sighed contentedly, and Rose was thankful she’d been able to conquer his nightmares, the demons that plagued him in sleep. 

Rose sat up and began to crawl off bed, but before she reached the edge, the Doctor’s hand shot out and captured hers. She gasped, startled, and looked at the Doctor, who was gazing at her under eyelids heavy with sleep. He tugged her hand to pull her back to him, and she returned to his side. 

“Nightmares again?”

“Yeah, sorry, Doctor, the TARDIS--" Rose started with a whisper.

“‘s fine. Stay?” The Doctor murmured. 

Rose hesitated a moment before crawling under the covers and curling up beside the Doctor. He rolled over and pulled her back against his chest, spooning her from behind, and he wrapped his arm around her middle.

“This okay?” He whispered.

“Yeah. Night, Doctor.” 

“Night, Rose.” The Doctor squeezed her tightly for a moment and burrowed his nose in her hair to breathe in her scent before relaxing his hold on her as he drifted back to sleep. 

They slept peacefully together, undisturbed by nightmares or dreams, safe in the comfort of each other. 

+++

Two weeks later, Rose soaked in the tub of her ensuite after their adventure on New Earth. Her head ached from the psychic ping pong with Cassandra, and her muscles were taut and tense from the constant, adrenaline-filled action of the day. Rose breathed in the scents of lavender, mandarin, and orange from her expensive bath salts from the markets on Krristaal Posheen, and she sank deeper into the tub. Her fingers traced her lips as she recalled the kiss with the Doctor. She couldn’t really call it _her_ kiss, since she hadn’t been in control of her mind when it happened. Rose cursed Cassandra in irritation, because the kiss with the Doctor she’d been dreaming of for ages had happened, and she technically hadn’t even been there. 

Perhaps a kiss of her own with the Doctor was not too far off. This new Doctor was _very_ tactile, and he seemed to crave and need her touch just as she needed his. Neither of them admitted that, however. Rose rolled her eyes. They were quite the pair, weren’t they?

Two weeks ago Rose had woken up alone in the Doctor’s bed after another night of telepathically comforting his nightmares, and they hadn’t spoken about it since, especially the fact that the Doctor had asked Rose to stay with him the rest of the night. He still didn’t know she’d been telepathically connecting with him to tame his nightmares, but despite her reservations about keeping that secret from him, the TARDIS had provided some assurance that it would work out in due time. Since that last night, the TARDIS hadn’t pulled Rose back to his room, and she and the Doctor had carried on as usual. 

In the privacy of her own room, Rose had been testing her communication abilities with the TARDIS, and she could now ask questions and associate certain hums and other reactions from the TARDIS with specific answers. Additionally, when expressing emotions, the TARDIS had started showing her colors, and Rose was slowly learning to match colors to their respective emotions. Shades of orange for happiness and joy, pinks for affection for Rose, blues for her affection for the Doctor, and certain shades of green expressed her exasperation for her Time Lord. Those were just a few things she’d learned. 

A soft knock on the ensuite door drew Rose from her thoughts. “Rose?” The Doctor enquired.

“Yeah, I’m in the bath, Doctor. What’s up?” Rose replied, thankful he’d at least knocked on a door for a change.

“Oh! I’ll, uh, I just, um, I’ll wait out here. On your bed. Or not. I’ll just, I’ll wait in the--"

“Doctor!” Rose interrupted the Doctor’s sputtering.

“Yes?”

“It’s fine, Doctor, just wait for me on my bed. I’ll be out in a mo’.” Rose sighed at the untimely end to her bath, hauled herself out of the tub, and wrapped a large, fluffy towel tightly around herself. She opened the door to her room and smirked at the Doctor’s slack face as he saw her in her towel. 

“See something you like, Doctor?” Rose asked with a grin. The Doctor merely stammered out incomprehensible noises. 

Rose walked to her dresser to pick out some knickers and pajamas before returning to her ensuite to get dressed. She returned to her room a few minutes later, ready for bed. 

She smiled when she saw the Doctor staring up at her ceiling in the dim light of her room, lying on his back with legs hanging over the edge of the bed. 

“Doctor?” She called out. “What’s up?”

“Rose!” He sat up abruptly and pulled on his ear. “Well, I was wondering if you’d like to, perhaps, sleep in my bed again tonight? Or here! In your bed, whichever. But with me. I just… I think I may have some nightmares again, because of Cassandra mucking about, you know, and the TARDIS seemed to think I should ask you to sleep with me. Near! Just sleep _near_ me, in case I have a nightmare. Or you, in cause you have a nightmare. That way you don’t have to leave your bed, and you said touching me seemed to calm me.”  


The Doctor looked in her eyes, and Rose found herself smiling softly at the Doctor’s obvious nervousness about asking her to share a bed with him. Maybe tonight would be a good night to tell him about her secret. “Yeah, Doctor, I’d like that.”

“Yeah?” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a hopeful grin.

“Yes. Now come on, I’m knackered.” Rose held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. 

+++

The Doctor was dreaming, surely he was. Rose was in his mind, standing firmly in the center of the tempest of his nightmares, whispering words of love and comfort to him. She shone brightly in his mind as the pinkish-gold essence of Rose permeated his thoughts and, wait a second--

The Doctor’s eyes flew open and he sat up and jerked his head back in shock, pulling Rose’s hands from his face and, subsequently, Rose from his mind. He shook his head in confusion at the loss of Rose’s presence, and he stared at her with wide eyes. 

At his sudden movement, Rose pulled her arms back and scooted upright and away from him, avoiding his gaze and staring resolutely at the duvet on her lap. 

“Rose…” The Doctor managed, voice strangled. The lights in the room brightened incrementally, and he knew the TARDIS did it for Rose’s benefit.

“Oh god, Doctor, I’m so sorry. I… I should have told you, yeah, but the TARDIS seemed to think I should wait, and I probably messed up, didn’t I? I’m sure there’s some kind of Time Lord etiquette to this, and...and I, I mucked up, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Doctor, I--" Her apologies spilled from her tongue in a rush.

“Rose, Rose, calm down. Just...what’s going on? How did you…? _How_?” The Doctor managed to form some kind of coherent thought after Rose’s outburst, and he really just wanted to know what was going on. Anyone else he’d be furious with for the invasion of his mind, but Rose… He almost groaned. Rose in his mind had felt, well, he’d never felt anything like it before. It was as if she fitted perfectly into the empty expanse of his mind, like she belonged there. And he really wanted to figure out this mystery so he could feel her there again. Wait. No, he wasn’t supposed to want that. _But how could he not?_

Rose chanced a glance up at the Doctor, and her eyes were wild with fear and shame. He nodded at her calmly, hoping to encourage her to talk. She seemed to find some comfort in his gaze and took a deep breath before starting. Her hands clenched the duvet tightly as she spoke. 

“Remember that morning you asked if I’d been in your bed? A couple days after you regenerated?” The Doctor nodded. 

He gaped at Rose as she began her explanation, and when she finished her hurried description of events, his jaw was slack and his left eyebrow was raised spectacularly. He ran a hand through his hair before speaking. “But that’s impossible. You’re not telepathic, so how is that…” 

He trailed off as his mind ran through all the possibilities. Clearly he was missing something. “Did it happen again, Rose? The next night? What about then, when I asked, well, when I asked you to stay?”

Rose nodded, still clearly uneasy about the situation. 

“Rose, come here. It’s fine. Well, with you, it’s fine. With anyone else it wouldn’t be, but if the TARDIS gave you permission, it’s, well, it might as well be _me_ giving permission. I trust the TARDIS. Rose.” The Doctor opened his arms to Rose, and he sighed in relief when she sat beside him so he could wrap one arm around her and pull her close to his side. 

“Are you sure, Doctor?” Rose asked softly. 

“Yes, but Rose, I… I’d like to see how this happened, how this is possible, if that’s okay with you? I’ll have to go inside your mind. May I?”

Rose nodded, and the Doctor motioned for her to lay down on her side. He followed suit, and they lay facing each other on the bed. He raised his hands to her face and murmured, “If there’s anything you don’t want me to see, just hide it behind a door or a wall or something. I’ll know not to look.”

After her nod of understanding, the Doctor slipped into her mind. They both gasped at the contact, and the Doctor, well, he was glad he was lying down, because the shock of it was almost disorienting. He felt Rose giggle, and he blushed when he realized she could now hear his thoughts; he’d forgotten to shield them from her. 

_Yeah, I can. It’s been a long time since you’ve been in someone’s mind, hasn’t it, Doctor._ His mood darkened briefly, and Rose continued before he could begin. _Oh god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like--_

_Rose, it’s okay. You’re right, it has been a while. Okay, I’m going to poke around a bit, is that alright?_

He felt Rose’s agreement and allowed himself to simply linger in the beauty of Rose’s mind for a moment. It felt - she felt - wonderful, like home. And just as Rose felt the undefinable essence of the Doctor in his mind, the Doctor felt Rose in hers, and they twisted together, fitting like two pieces of a puzzle. Her mind called out to him and surrounded him with joy and love, her feelings for him shining pure and bright without restraint. Wait, love? 

_Yes, Doctor. Love._

As the Doctor was momentarily overwhelmed by the sensation of Rose’s feelings for him, for _all_ of him, he felt her own hands unconsciously reach for his face, and he dropped most of his remaining shields, keeping only his darkest memories at bay. 

She entered his mind without hesitation, and he recognized her presence immediately. His own feelings for her swam around her, unhindered within the intimate confines of his mind. He allowed the deepest of these to permeate her being. Contentment. Home. Joy. Happiness. Peace. _Love._

_Doctor?_

_Yes, Rose. Love._

As they took comfort in the presence of each other, the Doctor explored her mind, and almost hidden from view in a far corner, he found a golden thread that was distinctly out of place. Inspecting it closer, he gasped in shock when he realized it was a remnant of the TARDIS. _In Rose’s mind._ But that was impossible. He’d removed the heart of the TARDIS and energy from the vortex from Rose on the Game Station. 

_Doctor? What’s wrong? I felt...are you scared? What did the TARDIS leave in my mind?_

_Well, it seems... Oh blimey._ The Doctor faltered. 

He felt Rose’s confusion and realized that in the chaos of his regeneration, he’d neglected, somewhat intentionally, to tell Rose exactly what’d happened on the Game Station. At her mental insistence, he hesitantly showed her his memories of Rose as the Bad Wolf, and he flinched when he felt hands grip his face tightly in her horror of the knowledge of what she’d done - or rather, what the Bad Wolf had done - to Jack. 

He felt tears trickle down her cheeks, and he brushed them away softly with his thumbs. 

_Rose, I promise we’ll talk about everything later, including Jack, but right now, I need to know you’re alright._

He felt her acquiesce when his concern for her overwhelmed nearly everything else. The Doctor mentally prodded the golden thread, and when he felt his own connection to the TARDIS flare to life in a tangible manner, he learned that Rose and the TARDIS must have found a way to leave a piece of herself inside Rose to facilitate Rose’s newfound telepathic ability, not only with the TARDIS, but also with the Doctor himself. He suspected there were additional ramifications from this act, perhaps on a molecular level, but in the moment, he’d seen enough to know that Rose would be fine. She’d be fine, and yes, he _had_ removed the life threatening elements from Rose, just as he’d thought. 

_I’m okay, Doctor?_ Rose asked after feeling his shift in mood and catching his stray thoughts. 

“Rose.” The Doctor opened his eyes and spoke out loud for the first time since their connection had been initiated. 

Rose opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor, and he moved forward without thought, pressing his lips to hers. His hands tangled in Rose’s hair, knotted from sleep, and Rose moved her hands from his cheeks to thread through the hairs on the back of his neck. 

Their lips moved softly against each other, and their connection blossomed under the onslaught of new physical sensation, and feelings of love and comfort and relief danced between them. 

The Doctor pulled back from Rose’s lips after a few moments and rested his forehead against hers. “It seems you and the TARDIS made a few arrangements of your own when you joined with her, and, well, you now have a telepathic sense compatible to mine, and I believe you can also communicate with the TARDIS.”

Rose leaned forward and captured her lips with his, and as she pulled his bottom lip gently with her teeth, he moaned against her mouth. 

She released his lip with a quiet pop and breathlessly responded to the Doctor. “I think I’m okay with that, yeah, Doctor? Are you...is that good? I felt, I dunno. A connection of sorts, with your mind. It’s hard to explain.” 

“Rose, it’s more than good. I never thought I could have this connection with anyone, and with you… The connection you felt, it’s the beginning of a bond, Rose.”

“Like marriage?” She asked for clarification.

“It’s permanent, yes, and it would be considered the equivalent of marriage in your culture. A marriage bond.”

Rose stared at him, eyes wide and shining. “Do you want it?”

“Well, I don’t need it, and I certainly don’t expect--" The Doctor was interrupted by Rose, and he felt her exasperation through their still-connected link.

“Doctor, do you want it?”

The Doctor leveled his gaze at her and whispered, “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“I love you, Doctor,” Rose blurted out, suddenly. “I loved the last you, too. But you’re all you. I know that now, I can _feel_ it. I love you, Doctor. And this bond thing, I want it, with you. But first we need sleep, and I need to know more about what happened on the Game Station and with Jack. After that, though? I want this bond with you. Soon.”

At her words, the Doctor surged forward and pulled Rose against him in a crushing hug. He leaned back slightly and raised one hand to cup her face, gently stroking the contours of her cheekbones before running his thumb along her bottom lip. He brushed his nose against hers and leaned to murmur in her ear, words he hoped to share only with Rose from this moment onward. 

“I love you, too, Rose Tyler.”

“Better with two, yeah?” She murmured before kissing him softly and curling into his embrace, both of them slipping into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I don't need to address this, but I know some people have specific feelings on the use of the "L" word preemptively. When I first started writing this, I had no idea where it was going to end up, and it surprised me that this is what happened. I approach this story from the timeline perspective that this is going to be a canon divergent fic, and Doomsday won't happen. I thought that for the purpose of this story and timeline (and maybe any other potential stories that come from this), their words and feelings for each other fit with the events that happened. So please just consider that for this story, whatever your opinions may be. <3


End file.
